Down Girl: the Logic of Misogyny Reading List
Accessible, beautiful, engaging — graphic novels have so many qualities that make them utterly captivating. The tales they tell aren't only interesting; their artwork adds another dimension altogether, making them a banquet for your brain and your eyes. If you lot're new to the graphic novel scene and are looking to dip a toe into its deep waters, then you lot've come up to the correct place. While it can be like shooting fish in a barrel to go overwhelmed by the huge number of choices you have, sure graphic novels have established themselves every bit landmarks of the genre — or are definitely on their way there — which makes them great starters to choice upwardly and peruse.
In celebration of Free Comic Book Day on May 1, take a expect at some of the near iconic, celebrated and popular graphic novels in impress. Whether you're into memoirs or fantasy, and whether you lot adore colorful digital artwork or the homespun charm of pen-and-ink drawings, you're sure to find something yous love looking at but every bit much as yous honey reading it.
"Award Girl," past Maggie Thrash (2017)
In Honour Girl, Maggie Thrash recounts her teenage summers spent traversing the pressures of adolescence at the all-girls Army camp Bellflower in the Appalachians. As the story unfolds, xv-year-old Maggie is surprised to find herself crushing on an older girl named Erin, who works as a counselor. Amidst the competition to become "Honor Girl," the camper who all-time represents the qualities the campsite tries to instill in those who spend their summers reenacting Civil War battles and shooting rifles, Maggie navigates heartache and the gripping fear of what other campers will practice if they find out she's gay.
The artwork in this graphic novel is unproblematic, almost resembling something a teenager would've drawn during art form at military camp, and that only adds to its charm — it'southward immersive and folksy enough to make it feel as though you've fully been invited into Maggie's mind. And the struggles and trials Maggie endures while figuring out her own identity during a transformative summertime — along with period details that'll transport yous right back to the tardily 1990s — will resonate with anyone who'due south encountered that uniquely teenage brand of hope and longing.
Named one of Forbes' All-time Graphic Novels of 2019, author Mariko Tamaki and illustrator Rosemary Valero-O'Connell's Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me takes an honest look at toxic relationships. The manga-manner story follows Frederica Riley, or "Freddie," a self-conscious teenage girl who finds herself in a relationship with the popular Laura Dean — who, equally the title reveals, continually breaks upwards with Freddie at random whims, only to restart their relationship over and over.
Equally the on-once again, off-again human relationship continues to play out, all the same, Freddie is forced to take a look at whether riding this emotional roller coaster with Laura Dean is really worth the consequences. Juggling relatively adult themes — particularly considering the characters are at the precipice of adulthood themselves — against a backdrop of bright colors and a familiar art way, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Upwards With Me is ideal if you're looking for deep characters and a story that champions diversity and queer themes.
"Persepolis," by Marjane Satrapi (2000)
A veritable titan in the globe of graphic novels, Persepolis is a highly acclaimed autobiographical tale that recounts the author's babyhood during the 1979 revolution in Tehran, Iran, and charts her adolescent years in Vienna, Austria. Aiming to show the realities of living in Iran during a time of major social and political upheaval — non the biased, agenda-driven media version of the Iranian Revolution that, according to the author "didn't stand for my existence at all" — Satrapi provides visual context for global readers using weighty black-and-white artwork and a beautifully woven story.
As one of the American Library Association's "Top 10 Most Challenged Books" due to its depictions of politics, religion, race and other important topics, you shouldn't expect Persepolis to be a walk-in-the-park read. But yous should expect this award-winner to exist illuminating and unforgettable. It's a piece of literature in its own right, one that demands critical thinking and forces us to contemplate the realities of war and the mode the media shapes our perception.
"Saga," by Brian K. Vaughan (2012–Present)
Saga is a multi-issue (correct at present there are 54, and production has been on hiatus since 2018) science fantasy-slash-space romance created past Brian Thousand. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples. Named one of Fourth dimension's tiptop ten graphic novels of 2013, Saga follows ii star-crossed extraterrestrials, Alana and Marko, who fall in dear despite the fact that their races take long been at war. The married duo at the centre of this infinite-age Romeo and Juliet ballsy struggle to care for their girl Hazel and find safety as they combat a Star Wars-esque evil empire.
If yous're looking for something to actually sink your teeth into, a new galaxy to get lost in while you shelter in place, this critically acclaimed series should do the play tricks — and not simply because it's won over ii-dozen Harvey and Eisner awards. "Saga is 1 of those comics that proves the value of the medium," notes Luke Frostick of Bosphorus Review. "If you're an developed…and you want to get into comics…and so pick upwards Saga."
"Blankets," past Craig Thompson (2003)
Blankets recounts the story of a immature Craig Thompson, who was raised in an Evangelical Christian family from the Midwest. In a tale told through flashbacks, the graphic novel follows Craig equally he falls in love with a girl named Raina during a winter church building army camp and the 2 explore the struggles of religion, adolescence and relationships. This coming-of-historic period story also looks into the subtleties of family unit dynamics — in detail at how religion influences those relationships — and how we re-process and reframe our formative years when looking back on them as adults.
The winner of two Eisner and 3 Harvey Awards, Blankets is full of lush, flowing ink drawings that will drop you lot right dorsum into the joys and angst of early on adolescence. It'due south a "superb example of the art of cartooning: the blending of word and picture to achieve an outcome that neither is capable of without the other," and information technology demonstrates precisely why and how graphic novels tin be so engrossing.
"The Sandman," by Neil Gaiman (1989–1996)
Want to jump straight to the top and read one of the most acclaimed graphic novels — maybe of all fourth dimension? Cheque out Neil Gaiman'due south The Sandman, which was one of the start graphic novels to make it onto The New York Times' Best Seller Listing. Between 1989 and 1996, Gaiman produced an incredible 75 full issues, along with ane special and multiple spinoffs, which are now available in several volumes. How perfect is that if y'all're looking for something binge-worthy and all-consuming?
Each tome is packed with gorgeous, colorful artwork from some of the most talented artists in the medium. Simply, woven with mythology from a variety of different ages, the storyline itself can exist a bit tricky to summarize. When Neil Gaiman was asked to try to explain the plot in a unmarried judgement, he replied, "The Lord of Dreams learns that i must alter or die, and makes his decision." Ambiguous? Absolutely. But suffice it to say that if yous like unique domains, anointed beings and nighttime fantasy, The Sandman has your name all over it.
"Fun Dwelling house: A Family unit Tragicomic," by Alison Bechdel (2007)
Fun Habitation: A Family Tragicomic is a bestselling graphic memoir that primarily tells the story of the author's human relationship with her father, the director of a funeral home that his family nicknames the "Fun Home." Information technology's not until Alison comes out as a lesbian in higher that she learns her male parent is too gay — correct before he passes abroad but weeks afterward, leaving Alison to untangle the many questions she'due south struggling to respond regarding her father's subconscious life.
Full of dank, blue-toned artwork meant to highlight the bleakness of the subject affair and the "arctic climate" of the writer's family, Fun Homeastward is an intimate, mesmerizing example of a graphic memoir — and a graphic novel — at its finest. Information technology'southward a story of unearthing the self and trudging through the grief that bubbles upwardly when nosotros think back on people we've lost, choices we've fabricated and past selves we've abandoned, and the catharsis Fun Habitation provides is a advantage all on its own.
"We3," by Grant Morrison (2005)
For a story centered effectually animals, We3 hits on a myriad of securely human themes. Loss, abandonment, and identity are merely some of the motifs found throughout this harrowing tale. Bandit the canis familiaris, Tinker the cat, and Pirate the bunny are iii cybernetically enhanced "animal weapons" created by the American government to serve every bit the ultimate soldiers – until they're deemed expendable. The 3 are rescued from the military by their creators and set immediately out on a journey to discover "Domicile".
Grant Morrison originally penned this three-outcome series back in 2005 while Frank Quitely provided this story's now-iconic artwork. We3 will be a hard read for pet parents and animal lovers, equally animal cruelty is one of this project'southward most intrinsic themes. But the cruelty, violence, and tragedy presented in this narrative aren't without merit. Morrison juxtaposes death and callousness with dear and compassion, then asks readers to make up one's mind how much a life is worth – be it a person's life or an animal'southward.
"Fables: Legends in Exile," by Beak Willingham (2012)
At its core, Fables is a story nigh stories. This series examines how we shape stories, and how we're also shaped by them in turn. Characters from fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and old wives' tales serve as the principal protagonists, and antagonists, of Bill Willingham'southward legendary series. The likes of Snow White, Pinnochio, Prince Charming, Dazzler and the Beast, and the Large Bad Wolf dwell in the fictional New York community of Fabletown. There, they try to eke out normal lives for themselves – or as "normal" every bit these larger-than-life figures tin can manage.
In that location are over 150 Fables comic books as of this writing, nigh of which are available every bit multi-effect graphic novels. Fables: Legends in Exile is the starting point for newcomers; it offers the outset 5 problems of the original comic plus an boosted called 'A Wolf in the Fold'. Fables' litany of nuanced characters elevated the series above many of its contemporaries, alongside Willingham's ability to tackle intricate themes – sometimes with grace and tact, and other times with harsh efficiency, merely always with authenticity.
Source: https://www.ask.com/entertainment/best-graphic-novels-reading-list?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740004%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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